The Day of the Duchess is the first ever historical romance I've sunk my teeth into. On the one hand, I loved the lush descriptions of country manors and velvet robes. But, on the other, moody and brooding dukes who are bad at handling emotions might not be my personal cup of tea. Not that the duchess is any better at at handlign emotion, to be fair. My favorite part of the novel was, without a doubt, the way it represented the other women who were (sort of) vying for the affection of the Duke of Haven.

In a different and lesser book, these women would have been cruel, shallow, and competitve. Instead, they witty, observant, and independent women who were given backstories and motivations of their own. It always warms my heart when stories resist the urge to make romantic stories about women clawing at each other for the affection of a man.

A new author to me, and a new fave read. I found this book hard to put down. It took a little while to adjust to the writing style, but I was soon immersed in it and pages were flying by. I enjoyed this book and can't wait for the American's and Sesily's story.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

Not AS good as A SCOT IN THE DARK just because this book has way more drama, something that I didn't mind, but was hugely interested in. Plus the flashback were slightly irritating at times because while I know they were needed and I did enjoy some of them, I felt like they took up way more space and book time then was actually needed.

Still really enjoyed it though and it gets a 4.5/5 from me.

When I first heard about this series I was adamant I’d never read it. A whole historical romance series based on modern-day gossip magazine headlines? The Kardashians do pre-Victorian England? No thanks.

However: since I started hearing about The Day of the Duchess several months ago I thought there might be… something… that really appealed to me. The blurb made the story seem like it was written specifically for me, and so – despite not having read the others in the series, and having ZERO background information to understand the characters , I started The Day of the Duchess with *expectations*!

While I found the sisters in the family obscenely anachronistic (and gave up trying to tell them – and their near-identical names – apart), it’s nice to have a series where the women are portrayed as looking out for each other.

I say it all the time, but I do prefer reunion stories to pretty much any other trope, and so the author started this story a few points ahead. These are two characters who have gone through terrible things, and done (the hero in particular) terrible things, but I think they came out of it more mature, with a complex and fractured relationship, and it made for excellent angst.

I think missing the setup in the previous books worked in my favour in some ways, as it seems other readers went into this one already disliking the hero. I didn’t start with that bias. It made it easier for me to like him and believe his remorse.

The premise of the story is absurd, however. In her author’s notes, MacLean explains that the divorce itself isn’t too much of a stretch, but then there’s also that earldom won in a card game.

And what comes after that certainly is a stretch to believe. Once the couple agrees to divorce, the hero makes the heroine attend a house party to select his new wife. It was The Bachelor, circa 1836.

Only in a romance book…!!

I stayed on board with most of the insanity of the plot because I liked the two lead characters (and some of the side characters) enough to invest in all the insane directions they were going. However, some readers ARE (justifiably) going to be unhappy with the infertility plotline and the overly sweet epilogue.

I AM very confused why an author who surprised me with her beautiful, emotional writing, her use of interesting archaic words, and attempts Brit-speak (‘I’m rubbish at this.’ and ‘He’s proper horrid.’) messes up badly in one big way.

If you’ve ‘landed on your ass‘ you’ve just fallen on your donkey. It is a phrase used numerous times throughout the book. The words ARSE and ASS have different meanings (one’s your derriere, the other is a farm animal) and aren’t even pronounced the same way; it’s just frustrating to see HR authors make this mistake at this point.

There were a few other stick-out-like-a-sore-thumb anachronisms and major Americanisms in the otherwise great writing. (Titled ladies saying ‘damn right’? ‘Sidekick’?) I’d heard this author uses a lot of modern, non-British language, and had been prepared for it, but it still grates.

The term “wallpaper romance” is used to describe books that all but do away with historical manners and historical accuracy, and this – my first Sarah MacLean read – definitely has those elements to it. However, trashy Kardashian themes aside, there was something more here. There was some serious emotion, and some serious themes in amongst the insanity. I am glad I gave this book a chance.

I know that I have picked up an amazing romance novel when I want to know how it all comes together in the first few pages but have to stop myself as I want to savor every word. “The Day of the Duchess” was one of those books.
The two characters of Malcolm Bevingstoke and Seraphine (Sera), the Duke and Duchess of Haven are both flawed. Sera left Malcolm two years and seven months ago after miscarrying their child. She returns to ask for a divorce, believing that the only way to survive the feelings that she has for her husband is to start a new life, running a tavern with her American partner. Malcolm has always loved Sera but it has taken her leaving to make him realise, that he will never let her go.
The hurt and betrayal that they both feel for each other is only surpassed by their love for each other except that they can’t seem to overcome these feelings and express how they truly feel. At times, it felt as if they could not get beyond their past. However, I had to admire Malcolm for the intensity of his feelings and his desire to restore their relationship to what they first shared.
This novel will have you enthralled from the first chapter. This book left me sleep deprived and late for work as I had to read just another chapter! However, finishing the story has made me want to reread the first book in the series “The Rogue not taken”, where we first see Sera and Malcolm. I just hope the fourth instalment comes along to fill the gap, otherwise, I will have to start reading all of Ms MacLean’s books again. This is one of my favourite books of 2017.

As always, in return for this ARC, I am giving a fair and honest review. Now this story has it all. How does a wife (who wasn't a wife really) go about finding her replacement to her husband (who doesn't want a replacement despite everything) go about fulfilling his request? That my friends is the problem. Good story, characters and well written.